Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2016/ib/paper-4/2e/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 ib Paper 4 2E Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-06
Eisenstein's criterion. Let be a nonconstant primitive polynomial. If a prime number satisfies , for , and , then is an irreducible polynomial over .
To prove the Eisenstein criterion, suppose a nontrivial factorization exists over . Gauss lemma for polynomials gives with of positive degree. Their leading coefficients are not divisible by , because their product is . Reduction modulo therefore preserves both degrees, andSince the only irreducible factor of the right side is , both reduced factors are nonzero monomials of positive degree. Their constant coefficients are consequently divisible by . This would make , a contradiction.
For the requested polynomial, shift the variable by one. The binomial theorem givesIt is monic, all coefficients below the leading one are divisible by , and the constant coefficient is , not divisible by . The Eisenstein criterion proves irreducibility of this shifted polynomial. The substitution is an automorphism of , with inverse , so it preserves nontrivial factorizations. HenceThis is the cyclotomic polynomial for a prime index.
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